


Decision

by straylize



Category: Tales of Destiny
Genre: Gen, publishing some real old content, random interludes from early-tod2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-30 22:05:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19412335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straylize/pseuds/straylize
Summary: (Tales of Destiny 2) For Judas, what appears to be a chance meeting is anything but. Now he has a decision to make, and it will determine not only his fate, but the fate of many dear to him. The decision—to atone, or to live with the weight of sins?





	Decision

The waterways that ran beneath the remains of Darilsheid seemed to be one of the few things that had remained in tact following the mayhem that destroyed the city eighteen years prior. for Judas though, it had felt almost as if the waterways too, would collapse. He had only just parted ways with Kyle and Loni, after what he would have hardly called a trying experience—yet still, he felt short of breath. There was an ache that had settled in his chest, one that threatened to burst, but he stubbornly had to force himself to hold his composure. The light of the moon shone brightly under a cloudless sky, and rather than head back to the quarters he'd once called his home, he settled under a nearby tree to collect his thoughts.

"I never would have imagined it, Chal. That..." The disbelief in his tone rang in the air as he unsheathed the sword he'd kept hidden away. Swordian Chaltier—the last remaining of the five. The others had perished in the successful effort to save the world eighteen years ago. Chaltier was all that remained, and his legacy as the sword of a traitor who turned his back on the world meant Judas kept it—kept _him_ —hidden from the world at large. The rest of the thoughts in Judas' head remained as they were as he let out a steadying breath.

Kyle... Kyle was the son of _Stahn._ The son of _Rutee._

In an instant, he had gone from having little purpose for his forced life to feeling as if something absurdly fateful had happened. He wondered for a brief instant if perhaps this was the true reason he found himself in the position he was in. He wondered if perhaps there was something he could do in order to compensate for a lifetime's worth of mistakes. He wondered—was it possible to change, alongside a world that was no longer what he once knew?

They were thoughts he didn't have enough time to process in full. The sound of Chaltier's voice cut through his internal questions. "It's uncanny, Young Master! He really is the spitting image of Stahn, isn't he?"

"It's hardly just that. He too, is little more than fool." Judas spoke the words with ease, as if it were something natural for him say. Despite that, the words held little weight to them; regardless of how true the statement may have been, it didn't seem to bother him. At least, that was what Chaltier was able to glean from those words. "Giving me a name, acting as if we were comrades without even giving it a second thought. Treating the notion of heroism in such a childish manner..."

_He's just like Stahn in that way, isn't he?_

Judas thought the words, but dared not speak them. His gaze shifted, tracing the path that he knew the two would have to take to get back to Cresta before sunrise. They wouldn't have gotten too far ahead by that point; if he chose to, he could easily catch up to them.

Part of him wanted to, desperately so.

The offer to journey with them replayed in his mind like a record on repeat. And his chest ached to catch up to Kyle and Loni. It ached to respond, 'yes, I'd be content to travel with you.' But the prideful remains of Leon Magnus didn't allow him to verbalize what his heart may have longed for. He had betrayed the person who called him "best friend." He had betrayed his sister. He had betrayed his friend, his military, his country, his entire _world_ for the sake of one girl. He had stubbornly fought against the grain of what his heart desired, and he paid the price with both his life and reputation. So did he even have that right? Did he have the right to stand alongside his nephew, the fledgling hero? Judas honestly wasn't sure what the answer to that question was. His jaw clenched and his grip around Chaltier's hilt tightened and he struggled to find the answer he needed.

There were two sides to the equation, after all. There was the question of whether or not he had that right, whether or not he could atone—whether or not he could somehow face Stahn and Rutee after all that had happened. But the other question, the other side of that coin—could he sit idly by this time? The son of the world's most famous heroes, his own flesh and blood—a boy too green and naive to know the dangerous of adventure—could he allow Kyle to go off like that? Loni, his traveling companion was irritating, and certainly a character... and while he was clearly a bit more worldly and street-wise than Kyle... he was an idiot, too. Judas couldn't trust him to be a guardian or a guiding light, lest they fall into the same traps he'd seen Stahn fall into. Idiots like them, they thought only of how to help others; they didn't consider the consequences. They were foolish and hot-blooded, and would walk directly into traps without someone there to rein them in.

He wondered if that meant he should go. He wondered if that would be the correct answer, after a lifetime of making mistakes.

"Young Master... could it be that you really want to go with them?" His thoughts were once again interrupted swiftly by Chaltier's line of questioning. "It looked to me like you were happy to have company, and—"

"That's _enough_ , Chal," The tone Judas used was biting, enough to keep the Swordian from saying any more. Chaltier was absolutely right in his reasoning, but Judas wasn't ready to hear his sentiments parroted back to him aloud. He knew, after all. Judas full well knew that he wanted to journey with Kyle, that he wanted to keep an eye on things and ensure that nothing terrible or tragic befell him without Stahn or Rutee nearby to intervene. That... was the very least he could do. "We'll head towards Cresta, and finalize our decision once we arrive If nothing else, we ensure he makes it back to his home alive. He will _not_ be flayed by some pathetic monster; that will be Rutee's job upon his return."

If nothing else, it was certainly a very _Leon_ way of expressing his worries. Even if he hid his face and true name, some traits could not be quelled so easily, after all.

He moved to stand, diligently sheathing Chaltier once more as he faced the direction he would walk. Though he hadn't consciously made any decision—and he would not emerge from the shadows until the situation became dire in Aigrette—the crushing weight in his chest lifted. This next journey would be a proper one in all respects—he would protect those who mattered, and complete what he couldn't eighteen years earlier.


End file.
